Summertime
by vcg73
Summary: Kurt and his friends find some fun on a hot summer day.
1. Basketball

School had only been out for a few weeks and as much as he loathed admitting it, Kurt was already growing a little tired of summer vacation. In the past, he had mostly helped out at the garage or taken trips to visit with assorted out of town relations with his father, but this year was different. He still worked off and on to earn shopping cash, but the rest of his time had become unexpectedly empty. His dad had Carole Hudson to fill the free hours now, and the two adults had become enamored of hanging around the house doing projects together.

Unless Kurt really wanted to spend his entire summer holed up in the basement where it was possible to avoid moony-eyed parental stares and other assorted grossness, his best option was to "go outside and play", as Carole so embarrassingly phrased it.

He had been counting on having his friends to do things with whenever he needed escape, but unfortunately, most of them were caught up in the summer-jobs and visiting relatives routine as well, giving him no place to go. Finn was usually off somewhere doing something sports or Rachel related and Kurt could only take so many solo trips to the local mall and movie theater.

In short, Kurt Hummel was bored out of his skull.

He could not have said what possessed him to go for a drive with no destination in mind, or to pull his car over at the entrance to a small public park, but the walk through tree lined pathways proved to be pleasant and at least the canopy of trees made this hot July day seem a little bit cooler. He wandered past the picnic tables and over to the playground area, almost turning back the other way when his ears caught the unmistakable sound of a basketball bouncing on blacktop.

Then he heard a familiar voice.

"He goes for the layup. He's unstoppable, folks! Nobody on the floor can even get near him! Abrams is on fire tonight. He shoots!"

Kurt smiled as he arrived on the scene just in time to see Artie Abrams' right arm rising in a graceful arc, sending the basketball in his hand rising toward the net-free basketball hoop. It hit the rim and bounced back, gaining a groan of disappointment from Artie as it bounced away into a clump of scrubby looking bushes.

"It's a heartbreaker for the Cavaliers as the ball is blocked and recovered by the other team's star forward."

Artie looked up when he heard a laugh, grinning at the sight of Kurt, who bent down and retrieved the basketball, bouncing it slowly as he walked over and handed it to his friend.

"I didn't know you played basketball," Kurt greeted.

"Yeah, they have a wheelchair league down at the clinic where I go for physical therapy," Artie told him. "Today I was just bored and this park is usually empty since they built the newer one downtown last year, so I came here."

Realizing that they were only about two blocks away from Artie's house, Kurt did not ask if anyone had given him a ride. For that short a trip, Artie would have wheeled himself. "I was bored, too. I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do, so I came out here and went for a walk. Then I heard the crowd cheering, so I wandered over to watch."

Artie smiled at the tease. "I didn't know anybody was around to hear me," he admitted sheepishly. Looking hopeful but tentative, he offered the ball. "I don't suppose you want to play."

Kurt hesitated, automatically stopping to consider his wardrobe. He was wearing jeans today with a simple patterned T-shirt and his Converse sneakers. It really wouldn't hurt anything if he got a little dirty in them. The only problem was, "I'm not very good."

A bright grin spread over Artie's face. "You're playing one on one against a kid in a wheelchair. How bad can you be?"

"Probably worse than you think."

Artie laughed. "Aw, come on. Nobody will ever know."

"We-ell," he hedged, accepting the ball and giving it a couple more bounces just to get the feel of it. "I guess so."

"Cool! Tell you what, since blocking each other is pretty much impossible with you standing and me sitting, why don't we just take turns making free-throws? Whoever gets to 20 points first, wins."

Kurt nodded. "That's ten baskets, right?"

"Right," Artie agreed. He looked a little pained but Kurt was grateful that he did not actually make fun of the question. He even offered, "I'll let you go first."

Okay, Kurt thought, he could do this. The plain faded blacktop of the court had long since lost most of its markings but a faint white line was still visible where the free-throw line had once been painted. Looking up at the hoop, which seemed ridiculously far away, he dribbled a couple more times and then launched the ball. It missed by at least a foot.

"Did you just make a granny shot?" Artie asked in disbelief.

Kurt blushed. He had not considered his technique when he took the shot. He had just gone with what seemed easiest. "I guess. Is underhanded illegal or something? I don't know how to do it the other way."

"Oh." Artie now looked a little bit less certain that this had been a good idea, but he did not say anything as he wheeled his chair over to the free-throw line. "No, it's legal. It's just not something most people do. Here, let me show you."

Accepting the ball that Kurt meekly handed to him, Artie positioned his fingertips below and to the side of the orange stippled surface and positioned it overhead. He glanced at Kurt to make sure he was paying attention, then aimed. His hands lowered, and then the right one pushed firmly, sending the ball in a graceful skyward journey straight into the hoop. "Just like that. Now, you."

Retrieving the ball, Kurt tried again, doing his best to copy Artie's form. The ball didn't get anywhere near the metal hoop, just smacking against the wooden backboard and popping straight back at him so fast that he barely managed to catch it before it could hit him in the face.

Artie chuckled at the look on his face. "Nice catch. Try again, with a little more arc this time." He demonstrated another basket, then made Kurt get down on one knee so he could study his technique at eye level as he aimed and shot. "You're not supposed to just chuck it forward like a shot-put or something. You're lifting it up into the air. Gracefully, not powerfully."

Sighing softly and wishing he had just refused, the way he usually did when anyone suggested playing a sport, Kurt stood up and toed the line again. "Graceful," he repeated. He could do graceful better than most guys. This could not be that hard. Taking a deep breath, he positioned the ball just above eye level the way Artie had and lofted it skyward.

"Better!" Artie praised him.

Kurt was not so sure. The ball still hadn't reached the hoop, though it hadn't fallen as far short as his original attempt. "Now what?"

"You just need a little more power and I think you'll have it."

"Wait, didn't you just say it wasn't about power?" Kurt objected, trotting over to fetch the ball as Artie shot and missed.

Artie considered it. "Well, it's both really. I just wanted you to get the idea about how to aim it. Now that you're getting that, you need to put enough strength into the shot to get it all the way to the basket. And I know you can, I've seen you pick up and hold some of the girls overhead when you performed with the Cheerios. Compared to that, a basketball is nothing."

That made sense. Kurt got back into position.

"Bend your knees," Artie advised. "Use your momentum to push the ball forward."

He nodded and squatted down just a bit, allowing his entire body to snap straight as he shot the basketball. Sure enough, the orb obligingly sailed up and into the hoop.

Both boys whooped in triumph, exchanging a delighted high-five.

Kurt took several more shots at Artie's insistence, making three out of eight, before Artie decided that he had progressed far enough for them to start keeping score.

It took an hour before either of them managed to successfully reach 20 points, Artie finishing the contest four baskets ahead of Kurt. Both were sweating in the rising summer heat, particularly Kurt who had been obliged to run after all of the errant shots either of them made, but they grinned happily at one another.

"Don't tell anybody about this, okay?" Kurt requested, leaning forward to rest his hands on his thighs as he panted.

Artie laughed. "Your anti-jock rep is safe with me. Thanks for playing, Kurt. This was fun."

He nodded, unable to deny it but absolutely certain that the sport would not have been half as entertaining with a more demanding or less forgiving coach, which would include just about everybody he knew. Dashing a drop of sweat from his nose, he asked, "Do you have anywhere to be today?"

"No," Artie said, looking interested. "You have something in mind?"

Kurt smiled. "Mercedes got back from her cousin's house last night. She sent me a text. I was just wondering how she'd feel about gate-crashers in her back yard."

For a moment, the other boy looked confused. Then he laughed. "Right, Mercedes is the only person we know with a brand new backyard swimming pool."

"Exactly. The installation was supposed to be completed a couple of weeks ago and Mercedes promised she'd let me try it out," he said, rapidly texting his best friend with the phone he had whipped free of his jeans pocket.

Within seconds, he had a response back and he grinned as he showed Artie the screen which read, 'Q and T already here. Soda on ice. C.U. in 20. B.Y.O. Sunscreen, White Boys!'

Suddenly realizing that he had no idea whether or not Artie could swim in his condition, Kurt got around the awkward question by saying, "Do you happen to have an extra bathing-suit I could borrow, so we don't have to drive all the way to my house?"

It was a reasonable query. Mercedes only lived a half mile away from Artie, whereas Kurt was on the other side of town, barely even in the same school-district. Artie seemed to think so, too, for he replied, "Sure, as long as you don't mind wearing plaid or a Hawaiian floral print. That's all I've got."

Kurt stared at him. "Why am I not surprised? I suppose that would be fine, as long as you don't expect me to wear suspenders too."

He laughed. "Only if you want to. Come on. My folks aren't home, so you can grab a shower in their room while I dig out the suits and some towels."

"Thanks," he replied, happy to be with a friend that understood his fastidious nature so well.

Artie grinned. "Hey, you're the one who got us invited to a pool party. I should be thanking you!"


	2. Splash

Half an hour later, Kurt pulled up in front of Mercedes Jones' house.

"Hey, you're late!" she yelled cheerfully, waving to them as she descended the steps of her front porch where she had evidently decided to wait for them.

"Does that mean the pool is closed?" Artie called back with a grin.

She laughed. "Nope!"

"Then we're not late," Kurt retorted, hopping out of the car and giving Mercedes a hug and peck on the cheek that drew a delighted grin. "Welcome home, girl. I missed you!"

"Oh, me too! I had a great time in D.C. but I kept thinking about you and wishing you were there with me."

"What about me?" Artie asked, feigning offense.

Mercedes stepped up onto the running board of the Navigator to give him a firm hug. "Of course, you too! You _know_ the best thing about coming home is seeing my favorite home-boys."

He laughed. "That's more like it."

Kurt had lifted Artie's wheelchair out of the back and set it next to the truck, snapping the brakes in place.

"You need any help?" Mercedes asked, stepping back to give Kurt some room as he slid his arms around Artie's lean torso and legs, and Artie looped an arm around his neck.

"No, we've got it," Kurt said, easily lifting his friend out of the vehicle and backing up a couple of steps. It was a move they had made a number of times since Kurt and Artie had renewed their childhood friendship early in the school year. By now, neither one was the least bit uncomfortable about the semi-embrace required to transport the other boy back and forth.

Mercedes' brow furrowed as she watched Kurt set Artie in the seat of his wheelchair before reaching back inside the vehicle for the sports bag they had packed. Locking the car, he put his keys into one of the zip-pockets and handed the bag to Artie.

"What the heck are you wearing?" Mercedes finally blurted, looking Kurt up and down as he turned to face her.

Kurt smoothed his T-shirt and tugged at the hem of his shorts, trying not to appear self-conscious. He knew that he had failed miserably when Mercedes and Artie both laughed. "They're Artie's," he admitted. "My own clothes weren't exactly appropriate for an afternoon by the pool and I didn't have time to go shopping."

He had grabbed a quick shower at Artie's house and the other boy had loaned him swim trunks, the blue and white Hawaiian pair, and a plain white T-shirt to replace the sweat-stained garment he had been wearing. Unfortunately, Artie was a little shorter and about twenty pounds lighter than he was, so the outfit was noticeably tight. Paired with the high-top sneakers that he had put back on for driving purposes, Kurt knew that he probably did look pretty ridiculous.

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Oh, no, it wasn't," Mercedes countered, seizing his arm and all but dragging him toward the back yard gate. "You look adorable and Tina and Quinn are going to think so, too."

Kurt cast a pleading look over his shoulder but Artie just grinned and wheeled his way along the path behind them at a sedate pace, no help whatsoever.

Tina and Quinn were both in the swimming pool already and they smiled brightly at the sight of the new arrivals. Tina levered herself out of the water and ran straight over to Artie, giving him a kiss of welcome as she took his bag and tossed it aside, setting her wet self on his lap with no concern at all for his own dry state. "I was so happy when Mercedes said you guys were coming!" she gushed, beaming at them both.

"Me, too," Quinn offered. "I haven't seen either one of you in weeks."

"Scheduling conflict," Kurt said with a smile. "Seems like whenever you aren't working, I am."

Quinn had taken a summer job at a local restaurant. She had moved back in with her mother and had plenty of available cash again, but several months as an outcast with no resources beyond the charity of friends during her school-year pregnancy had given her a strong desire to make certain that she had a way to earn her own money.

"Guess so," she agreed, laughing delightedly as she took a good look at his outfit. "Nice legs!"

Kurt blushed, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to appear dignified when Tina got into the act with a playful wolf-whistle. He had known that being exposed from ankle to mid thigh was going to get some heckling from the girls, but he had not expected it to be quite so embarrassing. "Go ahead, laugh it up."

"We're just teasing," Tina assured him. "Artie has cuter knees anyway."

Artie's plaid swim-trunks were considerably longer than Kurt's, exposing his somewhat atrophied legs from the knees down. He had also been a little self-conscious about wearing shorts in public, but he smiled at Tina's sincere compliment.

Kurt jumped and squeaked in surprise when Mercedes gave him a playful swat and said, "Maybe so, but Kurt's got a seriously cute butt."

"Hey!" he protested, setting all three girls giggling. Pointing a threatening finger at his best friend, he said, "Do that again and I _will_ splash the weave."

Mercedes just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on in, you guys," Quinn invited. "The water is great!"

"So, is anybody else coming over today?" Artie asked, steering his chair closer to the pool.

Mercedes shook her head, gathering her hair up into a knot and pulling on a cheerful-looking red swim cap. She removed the beach-wrap she had been wearing and revealed an equally bright red bathing suit with black cross panels and a cute little skirt around the bottom edge. "I thought about asking Rachel but she would have wanted to bring Finn, who would have wanted to bring Puck, who would have invited Santana, and so on. We decided we wanted a jock and cheerleader free afternoon."

Exchanging a glance with Quinn, Kurt asked, "So, you're saying I should go?"

"Of course not. What she really means is that we decided on a no-perfect-bods policy for today," Quinn corrected, lifting herself out of the water and patting her stomach, which was still not quite back to its pre-childbirth flatness.

Grinning at her, he quipped, "So, you _**are**_ saying I should go."

All three girls groaned and splashed water at him, making Kurt laugh.

"Boy, when you can take your shirt off without causing a massive case of snow-blindness, _maybe_ we'll talk about perfection," Mercedes teased, pretending to shield her eyes as Kurt peeled off his borrowed T-shirt and revealed a toned but extremely pale upper body.

"She has a point," Artie agreed, also removing his shirt. He, too, was rather pale but his natural skin tone was a couple of shades darker than Kurt's and therefore not as shocking.

Kurt kicked off his sneakers and rummaged in his bag for the sun block. "I'll have you know that there are women who would kill for my complexion," he said haughtily, slathering protective cream thickly over his exposed skin. "Is it my fault that I have mixed Irish and German heritage that happens to be incapable of tanning?"

Apparently realizing that she had offended him, Mercedes offered, "Let me get your back."

He handed her the bottle, smiling a little. "You always got my back."

"Damn right," she agreed, grinning back as she began spreading lotion smoothly over his skin.

Tina likewise aided Artie, removing his glasses and setting them safely on top of the sports-bag. Kurt waited until she was finished, then approached his crippled friend. "Ready?"

"Yeah, but you better hold on tight. Tina got me pretty slick."

Kurt smirked but kept all comments to himself as he once again lifted his friend from the wheelchair. Going to the shallowest part of the pool, where the water was only about three feet deep, he said, "Hold your breath."

Jumping over the side, Kurt allowed his momentum to carry him until he sat all the way down, allowing the water to go over both of their heads and diminish the initial shock of cold in one burst before standing back up and letting go of Artie's legs. They floated up with no resistance from his muscles and Kurt was easily able to move them both to a seat on the underwater bench built into the wall of the pool.

"Okay?"

"Great," Artie agreed, nodding his thanks as Kurt released him. "Anyone want to race to the other end?"

Tina swam over. "How?"

"I'll show you," he offered. Taking a breath, he bent his body and then launched forward; grabbing the water with both arms and pulling into a smooth breast stroke. There was no kicking, naturally, but his powerful upper body moved easily through the pool and carried him quickly to the other side where he simply did a U-turn through the water and swam back using a freestyle stroke. Bobbing in place with small motions of his arms, he smiled at his four astonished friends. "Kid stuff. Swimming was one of the first things I learned in P.T."

"That's awesome," Quinn said. "I'll race you."

The others gave them a countdown. "Three. Two. One. Go!" cheering and screaming as their two friends took off.

Artie was fast, but Quinn Fabray had been an athlete all her life and she sped to the finish line nearly a body length ahead of him, panting and gasping with laughter as she surfaced. "Artie . . . wow, I didn't think I was going to make it for a minute! If you hadn't tired yourself out with that demo swim, you'd have beaten me for sure."

"Rematch later?" he asked, grinning hugely.

"You're on," she said at once, the competitive fire that had once made her Sue Sylvester's star Cheerio flaring to life at the challenge.

Tina poked Kurt in the shoulder. "What do you say? Race?"

Smiling at her, he asked, "You want a head-start?"

"Like I need one against you," she scoffed. "Mercedes?"

The other girl raised both hands and laughed. "No way. I'm just the host here. I'll leave the speed-racer stuff to the rest of you guys."

Kurt and Tina got into position against the wall while their friends again provided a count-down. On the word, "GO!" they burst forward.

Both proved to be strong swimmers but Tina could not keep up with the pace Kurt set for long. By the time they hit the turn, he was well in front of her and continued to gain distance until he finished the race half a pool-length in the lead.

"Jesus, Kurt!" Tina blurted, coming to a tired stop next to Artie. "Where did you ever learn to swim like that?"

"My dad started taking me to classes when I was just a toddler," he admitted. "I've been swimming all my life. Actually, before this school year it was about the only form of exercise I ever engaged in voluntarily."

She splashed water in his face. "You could have told me!"

Kurt laughed and splashed back. "And missed seeing the look on your face? I don't think so." He sent more water flying at Quinn. "What do you say, should I race the winner after you and Artie have your rematch?"

"You're on. I will destroy you," she said calmly, using both hands to create a wave, which Kurt ducked, sending it into Mercedes' face instead.

"Oh, you are gonna _pay_ for that," Mercedes yelled, flailing both arms to send a mighty splash back at them both.

Within seconds, it was a free-for-all, five teenagers shrieking and laughing as they all did their best to drown one another, loving every minute of it.


	3. Party On

"Oh, Mercy!"

The kids looked up at the dismayed exclamation, guilt filling their faces as they realized that their enthusiastic splash-fight had slopped water all over the surrounding cement and patio furniture.

"Sorry, Mama," Mercedes said. "Guess we got a little carried-away."

The woman planted her fists on her hips and shook her head with an indulgent sigh. "I guess you did. Lord knows you were all screeching loud enough to wake the dead."

"Sorry, Mrs. Jones," the teenagers chorused.

She chuckled at all the penitent expressions. "It's fine. The heat will dry everything out soon enough. Just try to keep it down to a dull roar, will you?" They nodded. "All right, then. I actually came out to ask if any of you are ready for snacks and soda. I stocked up on all Mercy's favorites last night when she told me she wanted to have a pool-party today."

"You knew we were coming?" Kurt asked his friend in surprise.

Mercedes laughed. "Call it a lucky hunch. If you hadn't texted, I was going to call you anyway."

"Thanks, Mrs. Jones, I'd love a snack," Tina cut in, remembering her manners. "That's really nice of you!"

She smiled at the girl. "No problem, honey. I'll bring everything right on out."

"Let me help you."

Mrs. Jones held up a hand to stop Mercedes from getting out of the pool. "No, no, it's all ready. This won't take a minute." She paused. "By the way, your daddy called a few minutes ago and reminded me to ask if your friends would like to stay the evening and have a barbecue out here by the pool."

"Can we?" Mercedes asked excitedly as the others nodded vigorously and said, "Yeah!" and "Sure!" and "Thanks!"

The mother grinned, suddenly looking so much like her daughter that everyone else grinned in response. "Well, I know how bad Mercedes has been missing all you kids, and I figured it was probably mutual. My dinner table has hardly looked complete all week without a couple of sweet little white faces surrounding it. In fact, I more or less assumed your whole group might show up so Mr. Jones and I stocked up on enough chicken and hot dogs and hamburgers to feed the Ohio National Guard."

"Oh, Mama, you're the best!"

The teens laughed appreciatively when she sashayed back toward the house saying, "Don't I know it?"

"Your mom is so cool," Tina said admiringly. "My parents would _never_ consider inviting a dozen teenagers over at the same time."

Quinn and Artie agreed that theirs would not either, but Kurt said, "I think my dad would do it, but he'd probably end up spending the next week hiding out at the Garage nursing a nervous breakdown afterward."

They laughed, agreeing that this was likely.

"So, should we call the others?" Artie wondered. "I know what you said before, but now it seems kind of mean to leave them all out of the fun."

"Yeah," Mercedes agreed. "Let me just check with Mom and make sure she's really okay with it, then we can start making calls."

Happily, it turned out that Mercedes' mother was indeed serious with her offer, assuring them that she had it covered when they all offered to help with her preparation work.

Along with quick calls to their families to inform them of the change of plans, a text message: 'Pool Pty & BBQ at M's!' was sent out to Rachel, Finn, Puck, Santana, Brittany, Mike and Matt. Finn, Puck and Rachel accepted immediately, followed a few minutes later by confirmation from Mike. Matt, Brittany and Santana sadly turned out to be unavailable and sent regrets and mocking messages of supreme jealousy.

Wrapping themselves in towels, the small group abandoned the swimming pool for awhile and concentrated on attacking the large platter of sandwiches Mrs. Jones had left for them. Exercise-fueled teenage appetites made short work of the meal and there was nothing left but crumbs when the first of their friends showed up.

"Hi, Mike," they greeted cheerfully, making room for him at their table.

"Good to see you guys," he replied, grabbing a can of diet soda from a large ice-chest that had been left open for easy access. "I was just getting off work and wishing I had someplace fun to go when I got your text."

Quinn smiled at him. "Your fairy godmother must have been listening."

He laughed. "Guess so. Your pool turned out really cool, Mercedes. Thanks for asking me over."

She looked a little guilty. "Sorry I didn't invite you sooner. I asked Quinn and Tina because I knew they were both free today."

"Kurt and I gate-crashed," Artie cut in, grinning at the look Kurt shot him. "What?"

Kurt shrugged. "He's right. We did."

"Nah, they asked," Mercedes corrected, laughing as she added, "Though I wouldn't have put it past them to come use the pool anyway if nobody had been home."

"Don't blame them. It's a hot one," Mike agreed amiably.

A few minutes of generic small talk about the heat and their summers so far was interrupted by a trumpeting blast of, "Greetings, fellow glee-clubbers!"

"Hi, Rachel," they chorused morosely, smiling in spite of themselves when the enthusiastic girl bounced into view wearing flip-flops and an absolutely ghastly turquoise and teal paisley-patterned cover up, complete with a huge bow at her throat.

"Be strong, Kurt," Artie mumbled, hearing the distressed whimper to his left.

Finn Hudson followed Rachel a few seconds later, juggling a gigantic, inflatable sea-monster in one hand and a beach-ball plus at least four bags of chips in the other. "Hey, guys."

Kurt and Quinn both leapt to their feet to help him, shooting Rachel dirty looks for not even thinking to take some of the burden herself. "Let's take these in to your mom," Quinn told Mercedes, handing a couple of the snack bags to her.

"She'll appreciate it," Mercedes told Finn and Rachel. "Thanks."

Rachel beamed. "It was our extreme pleasure." Helping herself to Kurt's abandoned seat, she asked, "So, what are we discussing?"

As the others regrouped their conversation and asked Rachel about her summer, Kurt fumbled a little with the googly-eyed sea monster in his grasp. "What _is_ this?"

"Pool toy," Finn told him with a grin. "I thought I'd bring a couple over in case anybody wanted to float or play a game or something. Your dad loaned me a tire pump to inflate them with."

He took a closer look, realizing that the body of the creature was formed in a kind of donut shape to allow someone – a rather small someone given that it was clearly designed for a child – to either sit on it or bob inside the ring. "Oh." Then he smiled, an idea gleaming in his bright blue eyes. "Finn, you're brilliant!"

Finn blinked and frowned, looking as if he might be doubting his hearing at that particular phrase coming from this particular friend. "I am?"

Ignoring him, Kurt waved the toy to get Artie's attention. "Artie, think you can fit inside this?"

He frowned. "Maybe. Why?"

"Hold your arms up." When the other boy obeyed, Kurt slipped the donut over his head, shimmying it and grunting as he forced it to fit around the other boy's narrow waist. "You and Tina were just wishing there was a way you could play water volleyball, and Finn has now supplied the means. Assuming you won't mind looking like a cartoon character."

Everyone else was now grinning as they caught on to what was happening. Artie held his hand up to Finn, giving him a fist-bump. "Genius!"

"Yeah," Finn agreed modestly, happy to pretend that this had been his plan all along.

"We have just the right number of people to play boys versus girls!" Tina said excitedly.

"Better count again, sweetheart," another voice interrupted and everybody grinned as they were joined by a smiling Noah Puckerman. "I think the odds just shifted in our favor."

Rachel pouted. "No fair! I love water volleyball but I don't want to play four against five, especially since most of you are jocks."

They all considered the problem for a moment. Nobody wanted to be left out of something that sounded like fun. "Maybe one of us can sub," Mercedes suggested finally. "Play four against four until somebody wants a break and then the ninth person can take their place."

"I don't mind playing for both sides," Kurt offered, then immediately pointed a finger at Puck and said, "Not one word," when the other boy opened his mouth.

Puck simply offered a wicked chuckle. "I like it."

"Me, too," Quinn said. "It's fair and this way everybody gets a turn."

The others likewise agreed and a few minutes later, after giving the recently fed teens a chance to digest lunch, the entire group returned to the water, Mike and Puck giving Artie and his awkward inflatable sea monster a helpful assist.

"You girls are going down," Artie challenged them as he tested his available motion in the water and was pleased to find that he could steer pretty easily with his arms, the tight fit of the float around his waist allowing him to let go of it whenever he liked. He would be able to serve and set the ball as easily as anyone else, though scoring would require someone with more mobility.

"Ha!" Rachel returned smartly, removing her horrid cover-up to reveal a high-necked, lime green tank suit with little gold stars peppered over the fabric.

She looked like an overgrown 7-year-old and Kurt mournfully shook his head, wishing he could flatten Rachel with the acerbic comment she deserved, but sadly aware that his eye-popping blue and white floral swim trunks gave him no room to say anything.

Reading his expression easily, Mercedes gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she removed her own cover-up and hopped back into the water before any of the newly arrived boys could get a good look at her. Mercedes was a strong, confident young woman, but everybody had their limits and bathing suit season was a cross that every full-figured female had to bear.

Puck, Finn and Mike were all standing next to each other wearing dark, solid-colored board shorts, prompting Kurt to murmur to Quinn, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I miss the jock-clone dress code memo?" which got her laughing hard enough that everyone turned to stare.

Surprising them, she simply scowled at the attention and barked, "You think this is hard? Try winning an Olympic beach volleyball championship with two broken arms and an inner ear infection! **That's** hard!"

The entire company burst out laughing, giving Quinn a well-deserved round of applause for her dead on imitation of Sue Sylvester.

Lowering himself to the side of the pool, Kurt dangled his feet in the water and called out, "Since I'm not playing yet, I'll keep score." He tossed the huge rainbow colored beach ball into the middle of the pool. "And I call ladies first!"

And just like that, the game was on.


	4. Volleyball

To the surprise of all, Mercedes turned out to be quite a formidable volleyballer. Within minutes the girls' team had scored three points, bopping the colorful beach ball over the "net" – a nylon rope Puck had retrieved from his truck and stretched across the middle of the pool – and into the empty but in-bounds section of the boy's side.

Finn was of little help to his teammates. He was a mediocre swimmer at best and spent most of his time flirting and sneaking kisses from Rachel instead of watching the game, or paying attention to which side of the rope he was on.

After the third time Kurt was forced to call a fault on Finn, Puck bounced the ball off his best friend's head and said, "I can't take this anymore! Hummel, get your scrawny ass into the pool and show Lover-boy here how it's supposed to be done."

The very idea of Puck preferring Kurt's version of athleticism over Finn's was enough to set everyone giggling. Tilting his nose in the air in a mocking show of irritation over their lack of appreciation, Kurt changed places with Finn. On dry land, he would have been totally out of place in a game of volleyball but the rules of this game were loose and all he really needed to do was tread water, hit the ball in the right direction whenever it came his way, and stay on his side of the rope. He could totally do that.

Not being subject to Finn's distraction and aided by Kurt's determination to prove his ability, the boys quickly caught up with the girls and then surged ahead by a point. They had all decided to play to 15 and as the points racked up, so did the competitive spirit of both teams.

Finn happily sat on the sidelines and played cheerleader for both teams, but he looked a little confused over who to cheer for when Rachel suddenly spiked the ball right into Kurt's face, sending him under with a startled curse.

"You okay, Kurt? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Kurt shot both Finn and the triumphantly grinning Rachel a death glare as he rubbed his nose, trying to dislodge the water he had accidentally inhaled. "She hit me with a _beach_ ball, Finn. I'm fine."

"Okay," he said cheerfully. "Your serve, guys."

A couple of minutes later, play was again stalled as Tina called out, "I'm starting to get a serious leg cramp over here, you guys. Can I come out for a while?"

"Sure," Finn called, wading back into the pool as Kurt ducked under the rope and crossed beneath the water to the girls' team.

Just as Kurt was about to surface, he changed his mind and dove deeper. Rachel let go with a High F that would have had Mr. Schuester wiping away tears of joy when her leg was suddenly grabbed from below, yanking her under the water.

"KURT!" she screamed, coughing and spluttering as she bobbed back up, glaring at the unrepentant boy who just grinned and took shelter behind the wildly laughing Mercedes.

"Consider us even, Princess."

She tried to stay mad but with everybody laughing and having such a good time, she just could not do it. Finally, Rachel laughed as well. "Just for that, you'd _better_ help us win!"

The game resumed. Tina had been screeching and batting away the ball like it was going to attack each time it came her way, so with Kurt playing in her place, the girls soon surged ahead again. Back and forth the ball went, neither side gaining a clear advantage until the weariness began to show.

Finally, Mike bowed out, bringing Kurt back over to the boys' side while Tina rejoined the game.

Not used to so much prolonged exercise, Kurt's energy was flagging fast and Quinn easily got a shot past his guard. The rest of the guys attempted to defend their position, but once weakness had been sensed by the ultra-competitive Rachel and Mercedes, there was no going back. Within minutes, the girls had scored their final point, trouncing the boys 15-9.

"Congratulations," Kurt said as Mercedes bobbed under the rope and excitedly hugged him. "You win. I think I'm going to go die now."

She laughed as he hauled his exhausted body out of the water and collapsed on a handy towel, covering his eyes with his forearm and shutting out the world.

Finn helped Artie out of the float-toy and back to his wheelchair, then dropped himself into a wide, umbrella shaded lounge-chair, welcoming Rachel who cuddled in next to him. Mercedes put on her wrap and disappeared into the house to help her mother with dinner preparations, while the other kids stayed in the pool and played keep-away with the beach ball.

Kurt decided to stay where he had fallen, flipping onto his stomach and happily soaking in heat from the sun warmed cement like a lizard on a rock. He was unaware that he was dozing off until a cold drizzle suddenly hit his back, bringing him back to full alertness with a shocked yelp.

"Sorry, but you're starting to look a little red. I figured it was time you put on some more sunscreen," Quinn told him, helping herself to a free bit of towel and rubbing the lotion into his back without so much as a do-you-mind.

"You could have warned me," Kurt grumbled, "but thank you. I almost fell asleep and I really _don't_ want to turn into a human lobster today."

She smiled and handed him the bottle as he sat up, allowing him to re-screen the rest of his skin. Then she turned and lifted her hair, mutely requesting a return of the favor. Kurt complied without a word, feeling just a little strange, as he always did when he shared a moment of true friendship with the former bitch-goddess of the Cheerios.

"Thanks," she said.

As Kurt returned the bottle, he looked around, noticing that everyone was now out of the pool and just lounging around talking, tanning, or in Artie and Tina's case, making out. Mike, Mercedes and Puck were sitting together under a patio umbrella laughing at something on Mike's iPhone, and Rachel had fallen asleep on Finn's chest. Finn himself looked wholly contented just to lie there and act as her pillow.

"Does that ever bother you?" Kurt asked Quinn curiously, tilting his chin toward Finn and Rachel.

She smiled. "Not anymore. I hated it at first, but Finn and I weren't meant for each other. We were having arguments all the time, even before I got pregnant. I don't even think we would have lasted as long as we did if that hadn't happened." Kurt nodded, agreeing but surprised to hear her say it. He was even more surprised when she asked, "What about you? Does it hurt you to see them together?"

Kurt brushed a hand through his bangs, feeling strangely vulnerable under Quinn's knowing gaze without his usual armor of designer clothes and perfect hairstyles to hide behind. He had honestly never even realized that she knew about his crush. "No. I still like Finn, a lot, but it's different now. He really is becoming like a brother to me and maybe that's better." Meeting her eyes, he laughed. "Besides, I'm sure that as soon as school starts, I'll find some other new and entirely inappropriate boy to crush on. Meanwhile, I think I'm actually happy to have one last summer to be a kid."

Unconsciously rubbing her stomach, Quinn said, "Me, too." Scrambling to her feet, she held out her hand to him. "Come on, let's go swimming."

"I don't think I'm up to any more racing right now."

"Me either."

He smiled at her and allowed her to haul him to his feet. Hand in hand they jumped back into the pool. Taking up an easy side-by-side pace, they glided smoothly through the cool water, just enjoying the afternoon and the company.


	5. Fixins

It was late afternoon when Mercedes' dad arrived home, his car filled with pre-prepared side dishes. Green salad, potato salad, Jell-o salad, fruit and veggie trays, corn-on-the-cob, chips, dips, more soda and several boxes of popsicles for dessert.

"It looks like your dad bought out the whole grocery store!" Kurt told Mercedes, as he and the rest of the kids helped carry bags of supplies in from the car.

"You have got one amazing set of parents," Puck said, shaking his head in admiration. "If a bunch of kids showed up at my mom's house without warning, they'd be lucky to get bread and water."

Mercedes smiled proudly, happy with the praise. Then she scolded, "Your mom's not that bad. She was real sweet to me and Finn that time you were out with strep and we stopped by to deliver your homework."

"That's because you only stayed five minutes and gave her a reason to get back to nagging me about not _doing_ my homework," he replied sourly.

"Nagging is kind of her favorite thing," Quinn agreed, making a face at the memory of her time as a guest of the Puckerman household as she walked past them.

Stifling their laughter in an effort not to make Puck feel bad, the teens finished unloading their supplies in the kitchen, the boys leaving the girls to dish everything up while they returned to the back yard to set up the long picnic table and help Mr. Jones fire up the barbecue.

Kurt and Artie took care of the table, unfolding a large plastic table cloth and laying out eleven place settings. Artie held the stack of paper plates in his lap, laying them out at an equal distance while Kurt followed behind with napkins and plastic cutlery.

"Have you ever seen anything that screamed Caveman as much as that?" Kurt snickered, watching Finn, Puck and Mike hover around the large open fire that had just been lit in the barbecue pit, looking happily mesmerized by the flames. The Jones family had both a charcoal and a gas grill and had started up both to feed the large number of guests. The chicken had been cooking at low heat on the gas grill for the past hour; the charcoal pit being reserved for the faster cooking burgers and dogs.

"Never," Artie agreed. He shifted his shoulders, rubbing at the light sunburn he had obtained throughout the afternoon. He and Kurt had both pulled their T-shirts back on in deference to the impending meal, neither feeling quite right about sitting down to dinner half-dressed, but the other boys had felt no such compunction. They stood around the barbecue in their matching board-shorts, firelight gleaming off muscular, sun-drenched chests, cans of soda in their hands and dopey smiles on their faces. Artie thumped a fist against his own chest and grunted, "Me man, me tough, me make fire!"

Kurt grinned. "I know they're really smart . . . well, Mike is anyway . . . but they look like they're all sharing one brain cell between them." He made a face. "And is it really awful to admit that I'm enjoying the view anyway? Apparently I have a mortal weakness for dumb, half-naked jocks."

Artie was probably the only one of Kurt's male friends who did not get uncomfortable when he made open allusions to his sexual preference. Instead, he chuckled. "Actually, I don't blame you. If I was into guys, I'd probably be all over that."

"Instead of all over Tina?" Kurt teased. "I saw the way you guys were going at it under the patio canopy earlier. Thought I might have to turn Mercedes' garden hose on you."

Artie just smiled, blushing a little. "Today is the first time all summer that we've been able to get away from the watchful eyes of either her parents or mine."

"Ah," he said, understanding perfectly. Fluttering his lashes with exaggerated dreaminess, he sighed, "I can't _wait_ until I have somebody to hide from my dad."

The two boys looked at each other and cracked up. They were still laughing when Mrs. Jones walked up to them with the first two dishes of food. Wrapping her arm around Kurt's shoulders as she set her burden down, she fondly kissed his cheek. "I'm glad to see you having such a good time today, sweet thing."

Kurt ducked his head and smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Jones. Today has been a lot of fun."

"Glad to hear it," she said, reaching over to give Artie's messy hair a playful ruffling. "How about you, sweetheart? You been enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am! Best day I've had in a long time," he said promptly. "We all really appreciate you helping us to throw such a great party on short notice."

Charmed by his friendly smile and polite sincerity, she beamed and told him, "Our pleasure." Patting them both on their shoulders, she turned toward the house, calling back, "Oh, Kurt, honey, don't forget to come see me before you head home tonight. Mercedes said you wanted some of my special skin treatment to take along with you. I guarantee it'll clear that right up."

Kurt's smile faltered into a worried expression as she walked away. "What do you suppose she meant by that?" he asked, anxiously touching his face.

Artie shrugged. "I don't know. You look okay to me." Wheeling away, he paused and said, "You don't suppose she was talking about the freckles, do you?"

A high-pitched shriek of, "_**What**_?" was loud enough to have everyone in the vicinity staring at Kurt in puzzled curiosity.

"Oops," Artie said, wheeling away as fast as his arms could take him.


	6. Friends

"No," Kurt gasped. "Oh, no!"

Kurt had made a beeline for the house, ducking around the bevy of food-wielding females as he headed for the nearest bathroom, skidding to a halt in front of the large, brightly lit mirror over the sink. What he saw nearly brought him to tears. Artie had not been joking. There, dotted teasingly across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose were at least a dozen pale brown freckles. Had his face not been so rosy after all his sun-filled activity, he suspected the blemishes would have been even more pronounced.

And it was entirely his own fault. He was the one who had gone for a walk through the park and then spent over an hour in the bright July sun playing basketball with Artie, never once thinking about applying sunscreen to his face. Then, after taking a shower he had not even bothered to ask if Artie's mom had some moisturizer that he could borrow. By the time he got to Mercedes' house and finally developed enough brains to put on sun-block, the damage had already been done. His remaining hours of solar exposure had just helped things along.

"What am I going to do?" he moaned.

"If it helps any, I think they're cute."

Kurt looked up, his tragic expression bringing a smile to Mercedes' face as she stood in the doorway watching him.

"How can you say that? I look like I just regressed three years! It's like the ugly little 13-year-old I used to be is standing here, taunting me! I'm almost afraid to open my mouth, just in case my teeth have somehow grown back the braces."

She came closer, sliding an arm around his waist and looking at their joint reflection in the mirror. "Well, if they did we can ask my dad to take them back off for you," she joked, surprising a short laugh from Kurt. "There, see? They're just fine, and so are you. So you got a few freckles from being out in the sun. So what? Between my mom's homemade beauty cream and all those moisturizers you have at home, you'll be back to your usual perfect self in no time. Now come on back outside. Everybody is going to be seriously disappointed if you don't finish out the day with the rest of us."

Brushing a finger over his nose, he asked doubtfully. "You really don't think it's that bad?"

"Not at all." She laughed. "You look really cute as a boy!"

"I _am_ a boy," he reminded her tartly.

"You know what I mean. I love my fashionable, clear-complected, diva BFF more than any friend I've ever had, but that boy right there," she said, pointing at the reflection and giving his arm a squeeze, "with his plain T-shirts and wild shorts, and messy hair and cute little freckled nose? The one who just spent the whole day having fun with me and the rest of our friends playing volleyball, and basketball, and swimming races in my swimming pool? He's somebody you don't let out to play often enough. And I like him just as much as I do my favorite kick-ass shopping partner, because he's a part of you, too, Kurt."

Kurt smiled and rested his temple against the top of her head. "You always know exactly the right thing to say, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. I'm the smart one in this relationship."

His smile widened as he turned and gave her a tight hug. "Apparently so." Suddenly, he frowned. "How did you know I was playing basketball today?"

"I asked Artie why you were wearing his clothes if it had been your idea to come over and swim today. Something told me you didn't just get a sudden yearning for shorts with hibiscus flowers on them." She laughed. "And before you get mad, Artie didn't mean to spill your secret. He kind of panicked when I asked him why you'd been taking your clothes off in his room."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's just mean. Were you trying to scare away the only guy I know who doesn't think I'm on an evil secret mission to get into his pants?"

Mercedes giggled and snapped his waistband. "Looks like you did anyway!"

"That's not funny!" he objected.

"Then quit laughing," she teased, poking him under the ribs. The one spot she knew of that was terribly ticklish.

Kurt squealed, "No!" before he could stop himself, laughing even harder. "Mercedes, stop!"

Now Mercedes was laughing too. Once again pointing to the mirror, she said, "Now, does that guy look like he thinks the world is ending because of a few little freckles?"

Shaking his head, Kurt had to admit, "Not at all."

"Then quit worrying," she advised. "Let that sweet little boy inside you have his day. You can start worrying about looking like the grown up you again tomorrow."

"I love you, Mercedes."

She smiled and hugged him tightly once again. "I love you too, baby. Now, what do you say we go get some of that food before the others eat it all?"

His stomach growled, startling them both into laughter again as it loudly informed them that the sandwiches Kurt had consumed earlier in the day were nothing but a dim memory. "I think that's a great idea."

"Everything okay?" Artie asked hopefully as Kurt and Mercedes rejoined the rest of the party around the picnic table. The chicken had been dished out and a load of burgers and hot dogs was being placed by Mercedes' father onto a second platter.

Kurt nodded. "I'm fine." He could not help brushing self-consciously at this nose as he sat down in an empty spot on the bench between Finn and Tina. Smiling at his best friend, he said, "Mercedes played the logic card, then got me laughing before my inner drama-queen could take over."

"Well played, Miss Jones," Artie said with mock seriousness. "Well played."

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An hour later, everyone had eaten their fill and then some. The massive quantity of food the Jones's had provided was reduced to nothing more than empty dishes and a few random leftover veggies once the horde of teenage locusts had swarmed over it.

Finn and Puck were amusing themselves by chasing Tina and Mercedes around the swimming pool with popsicles, which they were threatening to drop down the girls' bathing-suits, while Artie and Mike engaged in a sound-effect filled light saber duel with two more popsicles. Everyone else sat around in contented food-comas, enjoying the slight cooling breeze that had come up as they ate.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones had gone back inside after dinner, leaving the kids to their own amusement.

"So, who's ready for a song?"

Everyone looked at Rachel, who was grinning at them, an all too familiar gleam in her brown eyes.

"You're not going to try and make us sing campfire songs, are you?" Mike asked dubiously, giving up the duel when his Popsicle snapped in half and Artie threw his fists skyward in triumph.

"Or about to propose a strategy to take next year's Sectionals?" Puck chimed in, helping himself to a seat behind Quinn, who was straddling the picnic bench. She smiled and leaned back against his chest, content with the arrangement. "Cause I'm pretty sure Mr. Shue is going to want some say in that."

"Or present a medley of Rachel's Greatest Solo Hits?" Kurt threw in, emphasizing each word, his facial expression growing more sour with each one.

Rachel tossed her head, giving him an imperious look that would have been far more impressive without the chlorine-saturated ponytail and hideous beach-cape. "No, of course not," she said. "I'm proposing that we sing something we all like. A jam session, like we have in class sometimes."

They all nodded, agreeing that this sounded like a good idea. "Wish I had brought my guitar," Puck said with regret.

"The ability to sing A'capella is the true test of a good singer anyway," Rachel informed him instantly.

Without waiting for anyone else to come up with something, she started to sing, "When the night has come, and the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we'll see."

"Stand By Me" was an irresistibly familiar tune and it took only seconds for the rest of the group to join in. The first tune bled into a second, then a third, and so on. At some point, Mike and Tina started dancing and soon Finn, Mercedes and Quinn joined in. Artie sat between them and belted out dance-pop songs with Puck, who kept up a rhythm of claps and finger-snaps as he sang.

Kurt was feeling too full and entirely too comfortable to budge from the deck chair in which he had collapsed after dinner. He wasn't quite sure when or why he had ended up with a lapful of Rachel Berry, but the two of them now sat contentedly together, embellishing songs with perfect high harmony to contrast with Puck and Artie's lower pitched voices.

"We should do this more often," Rachel said as the latest song ended and a babble of suggestions broke out among the other kids.

Kurt tipped his head to get a better look at her. "Have get-togethers, you mean?"

"No, I meant you and me, singing together this way. You have real talent, you know."

He smirked. "So I've been trying to convince Mr. Schuester."

"We'll just have to remind him, when glee-club starts again," she decided, nodding her chin firmly. "I'm sure he'll listen to _me_."

The annoying thing was, she was right. Shue probably would give him more of a chance if his "Star" suggested it. Of course, by the time September rolled around, Rachel would have forgotten this conversation entirely and they would be back to the same old rivalry, fighting for every solo. But Kurt could not bring himself to mind that tonight. Looking at the excitement in Rachel's eyes and feeling the camaraderie that surrounded them all, he could only appreciate the sincerity of her intended compliment. "I think I'd like that."

To Kurt's astonishment, Rachel hugged him. Or, more precisely given that she was sitting on his lap, she hugged his head. Strangely enough, he did not mind that either. Caught up in the moment, he started to sing, an oldie that he vaguely remembered his parents singing to each other on car trips when he was very small. "When you're down and you're troubled, and you need a helping hand. And nothing, oh, no nothing is going right. Just close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there. To brighten up even your darkest nights."

Rachel's large eyes became a little bit moist as she picked up the chorus, quickly joined by the rest of the group. "You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running, just to see you again. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, all you have to do is call. And I'll be there, oh, yeah yeah. You've got a friend."


	7. Happy Ending

Not sure the ending is quite right, I may have to tweak it a little, but otherwise this is it! Thanks to all of you who sent me Reviews, I really love reading your comments. :-D

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Full dark had fallen before the gathering officially ended; broken up by the fact that three of the nine teenagers had fallen asleep where they sat. Finn gently shook Kurt's shoulder, bringing him out of his light slumber with a startled snort.

"Time to go home," Finn told him.

"Is the party over?" he asked, sounding like a disappointed five-year-old even to his own ears.

Finn laughed a little. "Yeah, it's over."

Rousing a little more as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, Kurt stretched his lids wide open and then blinked them rapidly in an attempt to shake off the sleepy feeling. "How long was I out?"

"Not long. You quit singing about twenty minutes ago, then Quinn started snoring and we noticed that Mike was using the bag of leftover Chee-tos for a pillow. Figured it was time to call it a night before we lost anyone else."

Kurt nodded, accepting the hand that Finn held out to pull him upright. "Did the girls go home already?" he asked, noticing that none of them seemed to be around.

"They're upstairs gathering extra bedding and stuff. Mercedes invited them to stay the night," Artie told him, wheeling his chair over when he noticed that his friend was awake again. "Actually Tina and Quinn were already invited before the rest of us got here, but Rachel found out and started doing the kicked puppy face so Mercedes invited her too."

"Yeah, that'd do it," he decided, yawning around the words. "Mercedes is a sucker for the big sad eyes trick."

Finn smiled. "You would know. By the way, I figured I'd drive you guys home in your car and you can bring me back to get my car and pick up Rachel tomorrow."

"You don't have to drive us home," Kurt said, trying to sound indignant and failing as he fell victim to another jaw-breaking yawn.

"Yeah, he does," Artie said with a laugh. "I can't drive and you're so sleepy I wouldn't trust you not to run us into a tree. Besides, you still need to get me in and out of your truck, and I'd rather not end the day by kissing pavement."

Realizing that he probably had a valid point, Kurt gave in gracefully. "Fine, whatever, just don't let me forget to pick up the clothes I left at your house this morning."

"Dude, not so loud!" Finn hissed, nervously eyeing Mike and Puck, who had halted their own conversation to shoot them strange looks, surprise in Mike's case and revulsion in Puck's.

Kurt jabbed the taller boy in the ribs with a sharp elbow. "Will you all please _grow up_? What did you think; that I was going swimming wearing skinny jeans and Marc Jacobs?"

Seeming to find relief in this logical argument, the other guys finished gathering their things together and wished everyone a cordial good night.

"One of these days I am going to snap and plant a big wet one right on Puck's pouty, homophobic lips, just to get him past that stupid gay-cooties syndrome he's been holding onto since we were ten years old," Kurt grumbled, throwing the bottle of sun block into his sports bag rather more violently than necessary before he sat down to lace up his sneakers.

Artie burst out laughing. "If you're serious, warn me first, will you? I want to get it on film."

Finn grinned, but then looked worried. "You wouldn't, like, really do that would you, Kurt? Cause you know Puck and I both still have a problem with the other guys in football thinking we're gay because of the glee club."

"Yes, I know. I was only kidding, Finn. Both of your bad-ass reputations are safe with me," Kurt promised with a sigh, wondering for about the millionth time why it was okay for everyone else to make endless jokes at his expense while he couldn't even make one tiny gay jest without sending the straight boys into a panic.

Oblivious, as usual, Finn just smiled, nodded and finished gathering up his now deflated pool toys to take home with him.

Kurt and Artie exchanged a fondly exasperated look. After spending half his life in a wheelchair and enduring all the thoughtless comments and behavior that went with it, Artie was in a unique position to understand Kurt's point of view.

"I think we have everything," Artie said, checking around to make sure as Kurt placed the sports bag in his lap, then wheeled him around the side of the house. There was no ramp at the Jones home, but the boys smiled to see Mrs. Jones and Mercedes waiting on the front steps when they came into view.

"I was hoping we'd have a chance to thank you again," Kurt said, stepping up and spreading his arms wide to hug both mother and daughter in a single warm embrace.

They enthusiastically returned the favor, placing simultaneous kisses on Kurt's rosy cheeks that had his face crinkling up in embarrassed delight. For some reason he could never quite get used to the free-flowing gestures of affection that the Jones women both favored, but he loved them just the same.

Finn and Artie also received hugs.

"Kurt, honey, don't forget this," Mrs. Jones reminded him, reaching behind her to pick up a small jar from the porch rail. "My secret recipe. Just wash your face real good tonight and use this in place of your usual moisturizer. It's a mask so don't rinse it off right away. Just let it soak into your pores tonight and wash it off with cool water in the morning."

Relieved, he hugged her again. Mrs. Jones had studied dermatology at one point, and while she had not chosen to make a career of it, Kurt trusted her implicitly. "I will. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome. Now you boys drive safe."

Finn's tall stature made transporting Artie back into the passenger seat of Kurt's truck a much simpler task and Kurt willingly sat in the next row as Finn accepted his keys and climbed into the driver's seat.

"This feels weird," Kurt commented, stretching out as far as his seatbelt would allow on the plush leather bench seat as the truck began to roll. "I don't think I've ever sat in the back before, but it's pretty comfortable. I could get used to having my own chauffeur."

"Just don't fall asleep back there," Finn told him with a snort. "We're almost at Artie's house and I _don't_ want to have to ask his mom if I can have my brother's clothes back."

They all laughed, Kurt unable to stop himself from wriggling a little bit in pleasure over Finn's casual reference. For once, he didn't even feel the usual stab of regret over his failed school-year crush on Finn. Having his very own brother instead just felt . . . right.

They reached Artie's home within minutes, getting him quickly situated back in his chair. Finn declined the invitation to come inside but Kurt accompanied Artie to the door, smiling self-consciously as Artie's parents greeted him with welcoming smiles that could not quite hide their amusement over his unusual appearance.

Kurt had thoroughly rinsed his soiled T-shirt in Artie's bathroom sink before they departed, leaving it to air-dry over the course of the day. The usually soft material was a little stiff but after an experimental sniff-test, Kurt deemed it wearable for the drive home.

Ducking into Artie's bathroom, he changed out of the borrowed apparel and back into his own, relieved to be free of Artie's too-tight clothes. While his jeans were designed to be nearly skin tight, they were fitted and familiar, which made all the difference in the world. There wasn't much he could do about his hair after allowing it to be wetted by chlorinated water and then repeatedly sun-dried, but Kurt had plenty of products at home that would repair the damage, and Mercedes' advice about being a child for the day was still echoing in his mind.

"I'll take these clothes home and get them washed for you," he offered, holding up the swimsuit and discarded T-Shirt as he walked back into his friend's bedroom.

Artie laughed. "You don't need to do that. Just throw 'em in the laundry basket. I'll wash them tomorrow with the rest of my stuff."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I don't believe in gay cooties, remember?"

Kurt laughed, appreciating the friendly sarcasm. It felt okay when Artie said things like that, comforting instead of insulting. "Right. Thanks again for the loan."

"No problem. Hey, we still on for Friday?"

They had decided on the way over this morning that Artie should come by the Hummel residence for dinner and movie night on Friday evening.

"Absolutely. Ask your dad to drop you off around four o'clock. We can play video games or something until dinnertime."

"Cool. Tell your dad I'll bring him some of my mom's barbecue wings."

"Oh, he'll love you forever."

Artie grinned. "I know; it's all a part of my master plan for eventual world domination."

"Scary. Especially since I think you'll have to fight Miss Sylvester for the title."

Laughing, the two boys exchanged a friendly fist-bump. "See you, Kurt."

"Night, Artie."

Waving farewell to the Abrams as he passed, Kurt went outside and jogged up to his truck. He felt more than awake enough to drive by now, but decided to let Finn retain the honor. His friend drove an old fixer-upper Mustang that he had received for his birthday and which the two of them, plus Kurt's dad, were slowly restoring together, but he was still not- so-secretly in love with Kurt's beautiful and expensive Lincoln Navigator.

"Today was pretty awesome," Finn said after a few minutes, drawing Kurt out of a reverie he had fallen into as the quiet vehicle hummed smoothly through the night-darkened streets of Lima.

"I know. Probably the best day I'll have all summer."

Finn smiled at him. "You never know. Tomorrow could be even better."

"Not a chance. I promised Dad I'd work from noon to five tomorrow," Kurt reminded him. "Swimming pools and barbecues definitely trump crank cases and greasy donuts."

"I like donuts."

Kurt laughed. "Me, too, but don't tell Dad. I'm still trying to get him to cut back."

"At least that means you get to sleep in tomorrow, if you want," Finn tried again, seeming determined to make Kurt look on the bright side.

"True," he said thoughtfully. "Though, the mall is having a sidewalk sale tomorrow. Even with work, I should be able to squeeze in a pretty decent shopping trip if I go early."

Finn brightened. "Hey, maybe me and Rachel could go with you."

"Rachel?" he repeated, wrinkling his nose. "On a shopping trip?"

"She wants to get an early start on her back-to-school wardrobe. Figured maybe I'd buy a couple of shirts or something, just to keep her company. You could help me pick something out, and I'm sure Rachel wouldn't mind having another girl's opinion. You know, sort of."

Ignoring the last part, Kurt considered the offer. "You'd both be willing to take my advice?"

"Totally, dude! You're great at that kind of stuff. I mean, your clothes used to scare me a little, but after you picked out some of our outfits for Glee, I realized you didn't expect anyone else to dress like you usually do, so it's all good."

Not quite sure if Finn's words were intended as a compliment or an insult, Kurt chose to assume the former. "In that case, you have yourself a wardrobe consultant."

Finn looked a little uncertain. "That's a yes, right?"

"Yes," he said, stifling a sigh.

"Cool. I'll call Rach when we get home and let her know."

Kurt raised an amused eyebrow. "You do realize that if you invite her while she's at Mercedes' slumber party, you're probably going to have three extra girls along for the trip, don't you?"

Finn looked alarmed for a moment, then he smiled again. "That's okay. Today was fun with all of us together. Why shouldn't tomorrow be just as good?"

The other boy's relentless optimism was hard to resist and with the possibility of not one, but two makeovers dangling before him, Kurt had to admit that he was suddenly looking forward to tomorrow with a great deal more enthusiasm. "Maybe it will be."

After all, given enough time, maybe he could break Rachel out of the knee-socks and animal sweaters motif completely! The very thought of never seeing that combination again during the entirety of their upcoming Junior year made his heart beat a little bit faster.

And maybe one of the mall boutiques would also be having a sale on designer swimwear. Mercedes was sure to invite him back over now that the pool had been properly broken in, and they still had a long, beautiful month and a half of summer vacation left to use it.

He could hardly wait.

THE END


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